Let's Discuss The Scratches Ending...

[GSeven]

Ag, Was the retired Bailey somehow blood related to Catherine? Or was Bailey romantically interested in Catherine?
Baileys comments on the phone suggested he really did not like Milton or James Blackwood anyways, and said that M and B were "intimate". Could there an underlying story to the known story?

[GSeven]

And one last question from Nuxly...who is feeding Robin, and when?

The clue for this enigma is inside the chest in the attic. Look carefully at the various papers there.

Milton had to take care of Robin for several years... but then he couldn't take it anymore. Before cowardly leaving, he made some "arrangements" so as to keep feeding Robin (because, as we all know, he couldn't fulfill his promise to Blackwood).

Ag, Something other lingering thoughts... Who exactly was Robins biological father?

Did a mail delivery person actually come and deliver mail or was it someone else?

And what about the electrician who never showed, was that a ruse on Jerrys part or someone elses?

[Nuxly]

Simply by reading a couple of documents (especially Milton's) should be enough to dispel any doubts.

I've just read it again.... it's said in the game, when michael says to jerry that there's enough documents in that house to write a whole horror story...

[Agustin]

Ag, Was the retired Bailey somehow blood related to Catherine? Or was Bailey romantically interested in Catherine?

No, there was absolutely no relationship between Catherine and Bailey. There wasn't a romantic relationship between Catherine and Milton either (even though this could have been interpreted with a letter), and certainly there was nothing between Milton and Blackwood (just intimate friends, really, and not in that way :P).

[Agustin]

Ag, Something other lingering thoughts... Who exactly was Robins biological father?

James Blackwood, for sure.

Did a mail delivery person actually come and deliver mail or was it someone else?

Of course, mails can't just pop in out of nowhere!

And what about the electrician who never showed, was that a ruse on Jerrys part or someone elses?

This was a simple misunderstanding between Michael and Jerry (which of course came very in handy for the story ). The electrician did show up, and the note he leaves is proof of that - it's just that Michael never met with him.

[Nuxly]

The electrician did show up, and the note he leaves is proof of that - it's just that Michael never met with him.

ok...but it doesnt sound right at all for me... When you start the new game, the mailbox is empty. So the electrician came when Michael was in the house.... And he left a note in the mailbox, it means he could enter in the garden, and see the michael's car (he couldnt miss it, the lights were on). Why didn't he just come and knock at the door, or enter and call for Michael? There seems to be a long path to the manor, would he have come there just for staying 3 minuts and going away without meeting Michael?

:-X :-\

[Agustin]

ok...but it doesnt sound right at all for me... When you start the new game, the mailbox is empty. So the electrician came when Michael was in the house.... And he left a note in the mailbox, it means he could enter in the garden, and see the michael's car (he couldnt miss it, the lights were on). Why didn't he just come and knock at the door, or enter and call for Michael? There seems to be a long path to the manor, would he have come there just for staying 3 minuts and going away without meeting Michael?

That is correct, the electrician came when Michael was in the house (and he knew he was inside, as hinted in the note). However, we can't really tell how long he waited there. Michael was doing all kinds of things in the house (ie: setting up his stuff, speaking with Jerry, looking around...). It could have been anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes.

As for why the electrician didn't open the gate, he didn't know it was unlocked in the first place. Now you're probably going to ask me why he didn't just try to open it - well, probably because it would have been rude :P

[CaseSolver]

CaseSolver, thanks for the comments! I'm very glad to hear the subtleties of Scratches are finally creeping on you... I will be answering your well thought questions tomorrow because even we, creatures of the night, need to get some sleep (which is a contradiction, I know!).

I can quickly tell you that the last action by Robin is one of those things that you have to decide for yourself. He first tries to attack Michael (which even might be a reasonable reaction, given the circumstances) but then he seems to be asking for help, before Michael shuts the door. It would seem like he was begging him to stay... after all, he was locked down there, without contact to the outer world or any people, for many years.

Then again, we must not forget this is the same creature that killed his mother...

(then again, that could have been an accident )

Yes, that's one thing Scratches denied me: sleep!

Scratches sort of reminded me of the movie The Others with Nicole Kidman. The horror is very subtle...which can sometimes be scarier. And, in no way could I play Scratches in the dark! It took me almost an hour to get down in the fireplace for the last part of the game.

The fun really does start after you finish the game! I'm still thinking about it....and the more I do, the more it scares me. I'm finally starting to understand that the real horror is in the fact that you're left unknowing...like I said, at first I was sad that the game had ended so abruptly. But the one true reason for the whole game was to figure out the source of the scratching. I'm still confused a bit...but I guess that's the point! ;D And, that's why we're having this discussion!

I couldn't really tell what the expression on Robin's face was. All I knew was that it was incredibly horrifying! To tell you the truth, I first thought it was James. :-[ Either way, the thing looked evil yet sad. Another part of the confusion which I at first was disappointed in.

Questions: Why didn't Robin come out when he heard Michael down there? I'm sure Michael made noises by walking around. And the teddy bear: how does that tie into Catherine's "slit" throat?

Thanks for your time! ;D

[Agustin]

OK, as promised - answers for CaseSolver's questions!

Also, shouldn't Michael have called the police? After all, when you get into the car to try to leave, he says he feels he needs to stay, because perhaps the future inhabitants could really get hurt because of all this. I thought he cared about putting this evil to rest in order to protect anybody who came to live there in the future.

It is important to keep in mind here the emotional state of Michael. He was under a lot of pressure, the guy was evidently a nervous kind of person and, as stated before, he had his own idea of the Blackwood mystery and was expecting someone else down there. The encounter with Robin was so disturbing that he flee in a rush - even his last words are a testament of this: "not sure of what I had just seen..."

So Michael was very eager to solve the mystery and do its best to "clean" the house (even though he's never that convinced about the curse - note how he never mentions it to Jerry) - the encounter with Robin is too much for him, and hence calling the police and telling them that "there's a monster below Blackwood Manor" probably wouldn't sound right.

However, the truth is that we can't really tell what happened after the events in Scratches - the game ends right after the encounter with Robin and Michael simply tells us that he became a famed writer. Perhaps he could have been done that at the expense of the Blackwood mystery

And for some reason...I'm thinking that Jerry is a little bad. Did he really not acquire the house correctly, or was The National Trust eviction notice a fake? It's possible somebody wanted Michael out...but it's also possible that Jerry did something he knew he shouldn't have. I thought something was weird when he suddenly started believing all of the ghost talk. It's as if he wanted Michael to leave at that point. :-X

Jerry isn't a bad person - just a wise guy. He saw the opportunity to make some easy cash, at the expense of his friend. Basically, the Blackwood estate just wasn't available for sale (being an historical building of sorts) yet Jerry pulled some strings to make it so - he might have actually gotten with it, but that isn't part of the story. The point is: the eviction notice is real and it's because Jerry made a blunder. He wasn't in any way involved with the events in the manor (though one of the coolest theories out there was that he lured Michael inside the house as food for Robin ).

And yes, during the last conversations Jerry is clearly trying to convince Michael to drop the whole deal and leave the house - precisely because he became aware of the eviction.

[Agustin]

The fun really does start after you finish the game! I'm still thinking about it....and the more I do, the more it scares me. I'm finally starting to understand that the real horror is in the fact that you're left unknowing...like I said, at first I was sad that the game had ended so abruptly. But the one true reason for the whole game was to figure out the source of the scratching. I'm still confused a bit...but I guess that's the point! ;D And, that's why we're having this discussion!

I do believe the same as well! I think the ambiguity of the ending, and the feeling that something still remains unknown, is one of the reasons that made Scratches such an enduring experience for many. Discussions like this could be counterproductive then - which is why we aren't revealing downright everything

Questions: Why didn't Robin come out when he heard Michael down there? I'm sure Michael made noises by walking around. And the teddy bear: how does that tie into Catherine's "slit" throat?

The teddy bear was a poetic way of hinting at who killed Catherine. Bailey says that Catherine's throat was ripped and the teddy has its neck incidentally all scratched. It would seem like Catherine had the accident while nurturing someone... As for why Robin didn't come straight out: it could be because he was expecting at the best moment to attack, or he was also scared to death.

[Dan Peach]

So did Robin know that Michael was in the house those 3 or 4 days? Or was he just oblivious to anything outside of his cell? And Robin escaped in the end right? ;D

[Agustin]

Yes, it's very possible he did at some point (we can't know everything either! :P). Robin probably became aware of Michael when he crawled inside the furnace. He seemed to be waiting by the door, listening... and then suddenly hiding away.

And he did escape, most certainly - he was going to escape anyway, which is both ironic and scary at the same time... Michael's life was truly in danger after all!

[Dan Peach]

Inside the furnace was definitely a scary moment. Would have been more scary though of Robin had turned to look at Michael and said "I seeeeeeeeee youuuuuuuu!". ;D

How do you find writing things though, when you purposefully leave things ambiguous? Does it bother you at all? I find that I must know everything about what I'm writing about, even if the audience does not.

I do like to leave some things unexplained as it does invite further discussion, but I still feel like I must know the answers, so I can sit in my castle (little house) cackling like a crazed mad professor, with the lightning and the thunder all around - "Hahahaha, you fools - you will never know the answers - only I will know!" ;D 8)

[M�we]

Gives the end of the story Michael is writing some clue to the end of the game? I remeber i read some statement like this somewhere but i didn' t understand.

[Agustin]

How do you find writing things though, when you purposefully leave things ambiguous? Does it bother you at all? I find that I must know everything about what I'm writing about, even if the audience does not.

Oh, but I do know all the answers. The whole Scratches story was carefully planned from A to Z and every single detail has its reason. It's true there are certain things that doesn't need to be elaborated - for instance, I know that Jerry made a mistake with the house... but I don't need to know everything that happened with that (it simply works as a plot twist). I would actually love to have that same feeling of not knowing everything... I guess I could live with that (though the mad professor thing is real fun! ;D).

Other aspects of the story though, such as the African mythology, was actually downplayed and in reality is more developed than what was in Blackwood's notes!

[Agustin]

Gives the end of the story Michael is writing some clue to the end of the game? I remeber i read some statement like this somewhere but i didn' t understand.

Yes, there are some parallelisms between Michael's story and the end of Scratches (subtle and intentional). Michael didn't know how to end his story, as he was torn between a realistic ending and a supernatural one. It looks like the end of the Blackwood mystery inspired him to come up with the proper ending (not fully supernatural, yet not fully realistic either).

Gosh, I just realized I had forgotten about that... I wonder what other details of the story might be forgotten and never be revealed :

[M�we]

Other aspects of the story though, such as the African mythology, was actually downplayed and in reality is more developed than what was in Blackwood's notes!

Yes, i love the mythology, it reminds me of a lost story of lovecraft: have you found an old diary of him somewhere?

[Agustin]

Yes, i love the mythology, it reminds me of a lost story of lovecraft: have you found an old diary of him somewhere?

Sssshh, don't tell!!

[GSeven]

Which reminds me.. When you hear the laughing in the game, (amulat) where is it coming from-- Michaels head, the spirit of the curse or ????? : (i have too ask :-X)

[M�we]

I thought the similar handwriting of Jerry and Miton was a hint.
But now it seems that it is just a coincidence. :-\
Can you say somtething about it please?